Acadia in first, SMU on streak
THE CHRISTMAS BREAK is a little merrier for the Nova Scotia teams in the Atlantic university hockey conference.
The Acadia Axemen (12-3-1) entered the five-week break in first place and No. 2 in the country. They beat UNB on Saturday night to take top spot in the conference.
The CIS No. 7 Saint Mary’s Huskies (11-4-1) finished the first half on a five-game winning streak and are only two points back of Acadia and one behind second-place UNB.
The St. Francis Xavier X-Men (9-5-2) are in fourth spot, just three points back of SMU. Although they lost to last-place St. Thomas in a shootout on the final day before the break, the X-Men earned a valuable point in the standings when Josh Day scored with 20 seconds left in regulation to force overtime.
And the Dalhousie Tigers (5-9-2) beat UPEI on Saturday to move within one point of the Panthers for the sixth and final playoff spot.
Dal captain Benjamin Breault said the injury-depleted Tigers are in position now to challenge for only their second post-season berth since 2004.
“We can compete with any team and that’s the best thing about our first half,” said Breault, who has collected 12 points in 15 games this season.
“I don’t think there’s any game except for one (a 6-3 loss at UNB on Nov. 16) where we were out of it. That’s 15 games where we’re always right there in it. Considering how many injuries that we have, the guys that are dressing have stepped up to the plate and filling in the spots. That’s something we have to carry over into the second half. When we actually get our full lineup, we can definitely be up there (in the standings). We’ll head into the second half knowing we can compete and beat anyone.”
The league resumes on Jan. 4 with all eight teams in action. When they return in the new year, they’ll be gunning for Acadia.
Darren Burns has preached a defence-first approach and it’s worked. The Axemen have allowed a league-low 36 goals against, second only to CIS No. 1 Alberta in the country
“To be blatantly honest, I love our group,” the Acadia head coach said.
“We have tremendous leadership. We have so many guys who could wear letters on our team. That has kept us battling with the top clubs all year. When our work ethic and preparation falters, then it’s not a good result. We are not a run-and--gun team, we are a hard-working team that has to pay attention to detail in the defensive zone. When we haven’t, it hasn’t been a good result.
“But our guys are very committed, they work hard and they listen. They have a lot of respect of what playing at Acadia is all about. It’s a privilege to play here.”
The Huskies entered the break as the league’s hottest team, surprising some observers but not necessarily their coach.
Even Trevor Stienburg couldn’t foresee four of his players among the top 10 leaders in scoring, including third-year power forward Lucas Bloodoff, who tops the conference with 11 goals and 23 points.
“We’re not unhappy, that’s for sure. Maybe being picked fifth or sixth (in the pre-season) humbled them a little bit,” Stienburg said.
“I’m not surprised but I don’t think anyone can explain Bloodoff, (Stephen) Johnston, (Cory) Tanaka and (Michael) D’Orazio. We expected them to be good players but I’m not sure anyone expected Bloodoff to be leading the league.
“These guys live in the gym, on the track and on the stairs. Everything revolves around their hockey,” added Stienburg, who played more than 400 professional games in the NHL and AHL. “After practice or after road games, they’re running the stairs. I don’t know what the hell that’s for. I ran the stairs to get up to the bar. But I can’t complain.”
Although they finished the first half with a loss, the X-Men are well ahead of their pace of last season, when they were a disappointing 5-7-3 at the break.
“It’s definitely a big improvement from last year,” said St. F.X third-year forward Jason Bast, who has tallied a team-leading 15 points in 15 games. “We have to be happy with that. But at the same time, when we look back, there are some games and points that we let slip away.
“It’s disappointing that we head into a month-long break coming off a loss. But, right now, we are in the mix of things. I can’t wait for this month to be over with and get back into action.”